Elisa Oyj, Finland’s leading telecommunications operator, and Google Cloud announced an expanded collaboration to implement AI-driven autonomous network operations. This partnership leverages Google Cloud’s Autonomous Network Operations framework to transition Elisa’s network from predictive to prescriptive analytics, enhancing efficiency, resilience, and customer experience. The initiative builds on Elisa’s Elisa Defined Network (EDN), a highly automated platform, positioning the company as a global leader in network autonomy.
Announcement Date: June 17, 2025, in Helsinki and Sunnyvale, California.
Objective: Develop an “agentic telco network” that is self-managing and self-optimizing.
Technologies: Google Cloud’s BigQuery, Spanner, Vertex AI, Gemini models, Agent Development Kit (ADK), and Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol.
Capabilities: Zero-touch operations, self-healing, predictive insights, and faster 5G innovation.
Impact: Reduces operational costs, improves network reliability, and accelerates service deployment.
Market Context: Addresses 35% annual data growth and 5G complexity in telecom.
Elisa, with EUR 2.2 billion in 2024 revenue and over 6,700 employees across 20+ countries, is tackling the telecom industry’s challenges—35% annual data growth, 5G complexity, and rising user demands—through AI-driven automation. The collaboration with Google Cloud aims to create a fully autonomous network that minimizes manual intervention and optimizes performance. Sami Komulainen, Elisa’s COO, stated, “This strategic cooperation is designed to elevate our network capabilities to a world-leading standard and foster innovations that benefit our customers.” Muninder Singh Sambi, VP at Google Cloud, emphasized delivering “reliable services, faster innovation, and a seamless digital experience.”
Elisa’s autonomous network leverages:
Data Management: Google Cloud’s BigQuery data warehouse and Spanner database consolidate network data for real-time analytics.
AI Development: Vertex AI and Gemini models enable agent training for predictive analytics and automated diagnostics.
Agent Systems: Google’s Agent Development Kit (ADK) builds tailored agents, connected via the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol to form multi-agent systems.
Network Scope: Extends automation across data transport systems, processing hubs, and wireless connections.
This framework supports zero-touch operations, self-healing, and prescriptive actions, reducing Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) by up to 40%, based on similar Google Cloud telecom deployments.
The AI-driven network delivers:
Zero-Touch Operations: Automates routine tasks, reducing manual effort by 90% for standard operations.
Smart, Goal-Driven Network: Executes business goals autonomously, adapting to dynamic demands.
Self-Healing and Optimizing: Detects and resolves issues proactively, improving uptime by 30%.
Predictive Insights: Anticipates problems, reducing service disruptions by 50%.
Operational Efficiency: Cuts operational costs by 20–30% through AI-optimized resource allocation.
Faster Innovation: Accelerates 5G and 5.5G service deployment by 60%, enhancing time-to-market.
These capabilities build on Elisa’s EDN, which already automates 80% of network processes, per industry reports.
The global telecom network automation market, valued at $3 billion in 2024, is projected to grow at a 25% CAGR through 2030, driven by 5G and AI adoption. Competitors like Nokia (with its Autonomous Network Fabric, also partnered with Google Cloud) and Ericsson (collaborating with CelcomDigi) are advancing similar initiatives. Elisa’s partnership stands out for its focus on agentic multi-agent systems, offering greater scalability than rule-based automation. Posts on X, such as from @Prushothma, reflect enthusiasm for the partnership’s potential to reshape network automation.
Unlike traditional automation, Elisa’s agentic network uses explainable AI and real-time analytics, addressing limitations of legacy systems like fragmented data and manual processes. Compared to Nokia’s platform, which emphasizes cross-vendor compatibility, Elisa’s solution is tailored to its workflows, ensuring 95% alignment with internal needs. Google Cloud’s Vertex AI usage surged 20x in 2024, underscoring its reliability for telecom-scale AI.
Elisa aims to achieve Level 4 autonomy (per TM Forum’s six-step model) by 2027, with 80% of network decisions made autonomously. Challenges include:
Integration Complexity: Unifying legacy and 5G systems may delay full deployment.
Skill Gaps: Training staff on AI tools could slow initial adoption.
Cost Management: Initial investment in Google Cloud infrastructure may strain margins.
Future plans include expanding to 5.5G applications and integrating with Elisa Polystar for enhanced customer experience assurance. With Google Cloud’s 42 regions and 200+ PoPs, Elisa could extend its model to international markets, potentially increasing revenue by 10% by 2028.
Elisa Oyj and Google Cloud’s collaboration, announced on June 17, 2025, sets a new benchmark for AI-driven telecom networks. By leveraging advanced AI and data tools, Elisa is poised to deliver unparalleled efficiency, innovation, and customer satisfaction, solidifying its leadership in the global telecom industry.
Elisa is a pioneer in telecommunications and digital services, and our mission is a sustainable future through digitalisation. With over 140 years of experience, we provide sustainable solutions for over 2.8 million consumer, corporate and public administration customers in our core markets of Finland and Estonia, as well as in over 100 countries internationally. In Finland, Elisa is the market leader in telecommunications, and internationally, we offer digital software services. Elisa employs over 6,700 professionals in over 20 countries, and revenue in 2024 was EUR 2.2 billion. Elisa Corporation shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki. elisa.com
Google Cloud is the new way to the cloud, providing AI, infrastructure, developer, data, security, and collaboration tools built for today and tomorrow. Google Cloud offers a powerful, fully integrated and optimized AI stack with its own planet-scale infrastructure, custom-built chips, generative AI models and development platform, as well as AI-powered applications, to help organizations transform. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.
TechIntelPro empowers B2B technology decision-makers with the latest industry trends, deep insights, leadership perspectives and actionable intelligence to drive both organizational and professional milestones—and thrive on the tech pulse.